HUMAN SETTLEMENTS LESSON 10
INTRODUCTION
Human settlement is a place where humans live permanently/temporarily
Form of settlement in any region reflects human relationship with the environment
Some settlements are occupied for short periods
CLASSIFICATION OF SETTLEMENTS
Settlements are differentiated into rural & urban , no way to
differentiate between village/town
Population size , important but not universal
Place of residence was used to differentiate but its not universal now
Towns- people engaged in secondary/tertiary activities
Villages- people engaged in primary activities
Differentiation on the basis of functions is more meaningful but no uniformity
Facilities available in the villages of developed countries are rare in
villages of developing countries
SUB-URBANISATION
New trend of people moving away from urban areas to cleaner areas in search of better quality of living
URBAN SETTLEMENTS IN INDIA
- Defined by Census 1991
- Places which have municipal corporation
- Minimum population of 5000 persons
- Atleast 75% of male population engaged in non-agri activities
- Population density of 400 persons/sq.km
TYPES & PATTERNS OF SETTLEMENTS
On the basis of shape
- Compact Settlements-
▪ Houses are built close to each other
▪ Develop along fertile river valleys
▪ Communities share common culture/occupation - Dispersed Settlements-
▪ Houses are spaced far from each other
▪ Place of worship or a market binds the settlement together
▪ These are interspersed with fields
RURAL SETTLEMENTS
These are closely & directly related to land
Dominated by primary activities like agriculture ,fishing
Factors of affecting rural settlements 1. WATER SUPPLY
▪ Rural settlements, located near waterbodies
▪ Need for water makes people to settle even in disadvantaged areas
▪ Water based settlements have drinking , cooking
▪ Water bodies can be used for irrigation , fishing & transportation
2. LAND
People prefer to live in fertile areas , for agriculture from ancient
times
Villages in Europe grew up near rolling country
In S-East Asia villages grew in coastal plains for rice cultivation
3. UPLAND
It is a type of land , not prone to flooding
It was chosen to prevent damage & loss of life
In low lying river basins people settle on terraces (dry points)
In tropical countries people build houses on stilts to protect them from flood & insects
4. BUILDING MATERIAL
Availability of building materials also attract people to settle in
Ancient villages were built in forests where wood was abundant
Savanna’s building material were mud bricks
Eskimos in polar regions use ice blocks to build igloos
5. DEFENCE
Villages were built on defensive hills to get safe from wars
In Nigeria , inselbergs formed good defensive sites
In India, forts formed good defensive sites
6. PLANNED SETTLEMENTS
Constructed by govt. by providing shelter & other infrastructure
Example- Villagisation in Ethiopia & Colonies in Indira Gandhi Canal
Command Area
RURAL SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
Reflect the way the houses are sited
Site of the village ,surroundings influence shape & size of a village
CLASSIFICATION OF RURAL SETTLEMENTS:
1.Setting : plain , plateau & coastal villages
2.Functions: farming, fishing villages
3.Shapes:
a) Linear pattern- Houses located along a road, railway line
b) Rectangular pattern- Found in plain areas , roads are rectangular &
cut each other at right angles
c) Circular pattern- Develop around lakes, tanks, sometimes to
protect animals from wild animals
d) Star like pattern- Many roads converge , houses are built along the
roads
e) T shaped – Develop at tri-junction of roads
f) Y shaped- Places where two roads converge on the third road
g) Cruciform- Develop on cross roads ,houses are extended in all four
directions
h) Double village- extend on both sides of a river bridge
PROBLEMS OF RURAL SETTLEMENTS
In developing countries , poor rural infrastructure
Inadequate water supply
Water borne diseases like cholera are common
Droughts & floods also affect the rural settlements
Absence of toilet & waste disposal also create problem
Mud houses are prone to damage & are poorly ventilated
Unmetalled roads & lack of communication also a problem
Improper health & educational facilities
URBAN SETTLEMENTS
Rapid urban growth is a recent phenomenon
London was the first urban settlement to reach 1 million population in 1810
54% of world population lives in urban areas (2017)
CLASSIFICATION OF URBAN SETTLEMENTS
Population Size
- Important criteria, used by many countries
- 1500 population is required in Colombia for an urban area
- 5,000 population is required in India for an urban area
- 250 persons required in Denmark for an urban area
Occupational Structure
- In some countries economic activities are also taken for urban area
- In Italy an area is called urban if more than 50 % of population is
engaged in non-agricultural work - In India has set this criterion at 75%
Administration
- Administrative setup is also a criteria in some countries
- In india if an area has municipality it is classified as urban
- In Brazil any administrative centre is considered as urban
Location
- It is examined with reference to their function
- Siting requirement of a holiday resort is different from industrial town
- Mining towns require presence of valuable minerals
*Location of ancient urban centres were based on availability of water & fertile land
*Technology plays an important role in locating urban areas far from source of raw material
*Situation also plays an important role in expansion of towns
FUNCTIONS OF URBAN CENTRES
Earliest towns were centres of administration , defence & religious importance
Manufacturing, residential , transport, It are new functions of present
Towns perform multiple functions but we refer to their dominant function like London as a port city & Chandigarh as an administrative city
CLASSIFICATION OF URBAN CENTRES (FUNCTION)
ADMINISTRATIVE TOWNS
- Are the national capitals having administrative offices
- Towns which have administrative functions are also included
- Examples: New Delhi, London, Victoria, Albany
TRADING & COMMERCIAL TOWNS
- Agriculture market towns , banking centres , transport nodes are
included - Examples: Winnipeg, Amsterdam,Agra
CULTURAL TOWNS
- Includes places of pilgrimage
- Have religious importance
- Example: Varanasi , Mecca
*Cities also perform additional functions like health & recreation (Goa)
Industrial (Jamshedpur)
*Urbanisation-increase in number of people who live in urban areas
CLASSIFICATION OF TOWNS(FORMS)
Form of settlement, style of buildings are outcome of historical &
cultural traditions
Cities in developing & developed countries have differences
Most Urban areas in developing countries have evolved with
irregular shapes like Chandigarh
Planned cities- Chandigarh & Canberra
ADDIS ABABA (THE NEW FLOWER)
Capital of Ethiopia , established in 1878
Located on hill topography
University, medical colleges & schools makes it a good educational centre
It is the terminal station for Djibouti-Addis Ababa rail route
Bole Airport is located here
It has witnessed a rapid growth
CANBERRA
Planned in 1912 by Walter Griffin
Now the city has expanded to many centres
TYPES OF URBAN SETTLEMENT
On the basis of size, functions:
- TOWN
▪ Functions like retail, wholesale trade & manufacturing are
associated
▪ Professional services exist in towns - CITY
▪ Larger than town have a greater number of economic functions
▪ Have transport terminals, major institutions, administrative offices
▪ City with a population of one million is a million city
3. CONURBATION Coined by Patrick Geddes
Formed by merging separate towns /cities
Example- Tokyo,Chicago, NCT Delhi
4. MEGALOPOLIS It is a super metropolitan region (union of conurbations)
Example- Bengaluru-Chennai
5. MILLION CITY
Have population more than 1 million
Number is increasing rapidly
London was first to reach 1 million
DISTRIBUTION OF MEGA CITIES
Megacity- more than 10 million population
New York ,first megacity
Number of megacity is 31 (NCERT 2020-21 EDITION)
PROBLEMS OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Population is more than land can support
Congested housing
Lack of drinking water & sanitation
Lack of infrastructure
PROBLEMS OF URBAN SETTLEMENTS
Unplanned cities creates congestion
Shortage of housing, growth of slums are features of modern cities in
developing countries
Increasing population lives in slums & squatter settlements
Most of the million plus cities inhabits 1/4th of population in illegal settlements
In Asia about 60% population lives in slums
ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
Low employment opportunities force people to move from rural to
urban areas
Migrant population generate skilled & semi skilled labour force
which already exist in urban areas
SOCIO-CULTURAL PROBLEMS
Cities have inadequate social infrastructure , face several social ills
Lack of employment & education leads to theft & crimes
Male selective migration to urban areas distorts the sex ratio
ENVIRONMENT PROBLEMS
Large urban population release huge quantities of waste
Improper sewerage system creates unhealthy conditions
Large use of traditional fuel in domestic & industrial sectors pollute air
Huge concrete structures create heat islands
LINK BETWEEN RURAL & URBAN
Cities & rural areas are linked by movement of goods , resources & people
Linkage is important for human sustainability
Rural-urban migration has increased
Rural poverty should be eradicated to improve standard of rural living
HEALTHY CITY
- Clean and Safe environment.
- Meets the Basic Needs of all its inhabitants.
- Involves the Community in local government.
- Provides easily accessible Health service
URBAN STRATEGY
Given by UNDP :
- Increasing shelter for the urban poor.
- Provision of basic urban services such as education, Primary Health care, Clean Water and Sanitation.
- Improving women’s access to basic services and government facilities.
- Upgrading energy use and alternative Transport systems.
- Reducing air pollution